May 15, 1999
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Purdue baseball team dropped to 24-28 overall and 10-15 in the Big Ten with a 9-6 loss to Illinois on Saturday in Champaign, Ill. The loss ends the Boilers' chances for postseason play.
Trailing 1-0 in the second, the Boilers tied the game with a run on a solo home run by sophomore Nate Sickler. The home run was Sicklers 10th of the season, making him the first Boiler since Anthony Grieco in 1997 to reach double figures in home runs.
The Boilers took the lead in the third on an RBI single by junior Daryl Hallada.
Illinois responded went ahead with two unearned runs in the fourth, giving the Illini a 3-2 lead. The Illini had two hits in the inning, while Purdue committed two errors.
Senior Todd Ellinger led off the fifth with a solo home run, his second of the season, tying the game. Two batters later, senior Ryan Bettencourt singled and advanced to third on a ground rule double by junior Chris Walker. Hallada followed with a ground out to short, scoring Bettencourt to give Purdue a 4-3 lead.
Illinois responded with four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead for good. Third baseman Craig Marquies two-run triple with one out scored Jeff Gertz and Todd McClure. Right fielder T.J. Jackson followed with a sacrifice fly, driving home Marquie. First baseman Kevin Rudden then homered to right to give Illinois a 7-4 advantage.
Purdue scored two in the sixth to draw within one, but Illinois would extend the lead with two more runs in the eighth to put the Boilers away.
Sophomore left-hander David Gassner (4-5) got the loss, allowing five hits and five earned runs in 6.2 innings.
Right-hander Jason Anderson (8-2) allowed six runs in 7.1 innings but received enough offensive support to get the win. Big Ten Pitcher-of-the-Year candidate Jimmy Journell notched his seventh save with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief.
The series continues with a doubleheader at 5 p.m. on Sunday in Champaign.